Journal
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 36, Issue 15, Pages 1437-1443Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/marc.201500149
Keywords
beads; block copolymers; electrospinning; microphase separation; self-assembly
Categories
Funding
- Royal Academy of Engineering
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [2013ZZ0004]
- South China University of Technology [K412001III]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Polymer beads have attracted considerable interest for use in catalysis, drug delivery, and photonics due to their particular shape and surface morphology. Electrospinning, typically used for producing nanofibers, can also be used to fabricate polymer beads if the solution has a sufficiently low concentration. In this work, a novel approach for producing more uniform, intact beads is presented by electrospinning self-assembled block copolymer (BCP) solutions. This approach allows a relatively high polymer concentration to be used, yet with a low degree of entanglement between polymer chains due to microphase separation of the BCP in a selective solvent system. Herein, to demonstrate the technology, a well-studied polystyrenepoly(ethylene butylene)-polystyrene triblock copolymer is dissolved in a co-solvent system. The effect of solvent composition on the characteristics of the fibers and beads is intensively studied, and the mechanism of this fiber-tobead is found to be dependent on microphase separation of the BCP.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available